Just like last year, Viktor Orbán and Marcel Ciolacu will meet informally in Bucharest before the Hungarian Prime Minister, who has become somewhat of a pariah in the EU, participates and speaks on Saturday at the Summer University in Băile Tuşnad (July 24-28).
The Hungarian press is the one revealing this detail, which is not included in the Government’s official agenda, just like in 2023.
The fact that Hungary currently holds the presidency of the European Union gives special importance to the current discussions, writes Maszol.
At the Summer University in Tuşnad, several Hungarian and Romanian politicians will be present, including Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén, several government members, as well as Kelemen Hunor, the president of UDMR.
This year's edition is held under the motto "On the right path," and the organizers have stated that in an era of crises, only those who make the best decisions at the right time can emerge victorious.
The "Tusványos" Summer University is organized by the Hungarian Youth Council of Romania and the Pro Minoritate Foundation from Hungary, with the support of several institutions and organizations.
Viktor Orbán becoming a pariah
Viktor Orbán has recently further upset EU leaders with his so-called "peace missions" at the beginning of July - meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing, and, more recently, former U.S. President Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.
The Hungarian leader has tried to present himself as a peacemaker in the conflict in Ukraine, but his position is at odds with most EU leaders, who have committed to unequivocally support Ukraine in its effort to repel Russia's military aggression.
In his letter to these leaders, Orbán stated that during the meetings, there was a "general observation" that the "intensity of the military conflict" in Ukraine "will escalate radically in the near future."
Subsequently, the EU has decided how to boycott Viktor Orbán. The next meetings of the EU foreign and defense ministers, scheduled for August, will be moved from Budapest to Brussels. However, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has shown indifference to this decision. Instead, Hungary will block the next tranche of military aid offered to Ukraine through the "European Peace Facility" until Kiev unblocks the deliveries of oil from the Russian company Lukoil to Hungary and Slovakia.